Reviews of "Midwinter Break" and "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," along with Oscar predictions and a look back at the best and worst documentaries of 2025, all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Radio Network.
Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday March 10, 2 pm ET.
Courage comes in many forms, some of them plainly apparent and others seemingly unlikely. Ironically, it’s those emboldened but unsuspecting heroes who often end up achieving the greatest victories in their endeavors, even when up against formidable opponents. And now the makings of such an implausible scenario provide the focus for an insightful first-person documentary, one in which an unassuming, mild-mannered David matter-of-factly takes on a daunting Goliath.
Forgiveness is one of the most challenging but potentially rewarding exercises in which we can engage. Mustering up the courage and gumption to take on this task may be difficult, even anguishing. But, once we make our way through this potentially intimidating process, we often find ourselves feeling renewed, brimming with rejuvenated emotions and grace that we never knew we possessed. In that sense, then, it’s also a revelatory experience, one that can light the way to fulfilling new and satisfying accomplishments, achievements that might have always seemed out of reach.
As much as one would like to believe that humanity is capable of great things, we’ve also seen many instances where the opposite, unfortunately, is true. And, to make matters worse, many of those unsettling developments remain out of view, hidden in the shadows – that is, until someone comes along to courageously expose them. Those revelations often come at tremendous personal cost, too, but, when the world becomes aware of such horrors, opportunities for change, justice and healing begin to emerge. Such are the hopes offered up the gripping new fact-based historical drama, “Words of War.”
When one lives in a small town, it’s not uncommon for everyone to seemingly know everybody else’s business, a circumstance that can be inconvenient, frustrating or annoying. But, worse than that, if one is somehow associated with an incident that’s tragic, scandalous or unspeakable, dealing with the fallout of such conditions (and the associated consequences) can be wholly intolerable. So how does one cope in scenarios like this?
“Can I Get a Witness?” (2024 production, 2025 release). Cast: Sandra Oh, Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, Zaa Nkweta, Shaz Far, Casey Kenneth Wright, Yuki Morita, Ben Immanuel, Patrick Gallagher, Naika Toussaint, Andre Anthony, Oscar Chark, Jude Wilson, Cassandra Sawtell, Tedra Rogers, Ally Battaggia, Kymo Van Oers, Jovanna Burke. Director: Ann Marie Fleming. Screenplay: Ann Marie Fleming. Web site. Trailer. Successfully vanquishing global ills like environmental degradation, economic inequality, insufficient health care and armed conflict in order to purposely create an earthly paradise is undeniably an ambitious and virtuous goal that most of us would probably support. The benefits of creating a healthy, sustainably managed future are undeniable. But how far would we be willing to go to realize it? The [...]
Is love enough to sustain a relationship? It can certainly provide a powerful bond to keep partners together, but is that sufficient to maintain that connection when other issues arise (e.g., day-to-day life challenges, disagreements and disconnects about fundamental goals and aspirations, cohabitation conflicts, a growing lack of sexual intimacy, etc.)? These matters often come to a head when certain turning points in life are reached, such as health issues or retirement, especially when each partner holds different views about what that next stage of life is supposed to be all about. And, as is becoming increasingly apparent these days, these questions impact both traditional partnerships and same-sex couples. So what’s to be done?
It often feels like we’re constantly being assessed, evaluated on everything from our creditworthiness to our work performance to our scholastic achievements. But imagine what it might be like if we were scrutinized on highly personal matters, with intrusive investigations into our most highly intimate concerns. Is it worth putting ourselves through such intrusive and potentially intensive inquiries?
Most of us would probably agree that learning lessons is an important part of our life experience. However, at the same time, most of us would also likely concur that we seldom know what those lessons will be, what their messages are or how they will arise in our lives. What’s more, and perhaps even more perplexing, we often don’t know who the teachers of those lessons will be. Could they be the circumstances that appear? The people who cross our paths? Or maybe something else entirely unexpected?
